First Virtual Business Summit for Women Draws Huge 'Crowds'

Online, June 9, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Leslie Grossman and Andrea March are understandably jubilant. Their risk paid off. The cofounders of Women's Leadership Exchange (WLE) took a big chance by transforming their main business model from the kind of bricks and mortar conferences they had held nationwide since 2002 to the "WLE Virtual Summit 2010" they created and "went live with" on May 26th of this year.

"We sweated the numbers," Leslie admits. The day of the event, 867 women business owners and executives had registered, most paying $99 for the privilege of 1) hearing from keynoters Arianna Huffington and futurist Edie Weiner and riveting speaker David Meerman Scott, author of "The New Rules of Marketing and PR; 2) attending virtual expert-led seminars on a variety of key business and work/life topics; and 3) networking with each other in cyberspace in a real time "Connections Cafe"- all participation accomplished without leaving home or office.

Besides the satisfying number of attendees for this first of its kind event, which featured a theatre in streaming video, an Exhibit Hall for sponsors, the Connections Cafe, and more, the feedback from attendees was even more satisfying. Their comments on the enormous value the event had held for them motivated Leslie and Andrea to extend the archive period through August 28th. During this time the keynotes, workshops and exhibit hall are available free to those who registered; others can still register to experience the entire program at www.womensleadershipexchange.com Additionally, as Andrea reports, "We're bringing back our speakers for exclusive chats in the Connections Cafe and then open networking - all on Wednesdays at 1 pm EDT."

There are also plans to host live networking sessions where those who exchanged cards and calls virtually can meet up in person for further facilitated connections in LA, Ft. Lauderdale and New York City. Dates will soon be announced on the WLE website.

The theme of the conference, incidentally, was "A New Way of Doing Business." For all involved, it certainly lived up to its billing! For the WLE itself, the courage to try this new business model paid off handsomely: two longstanding sponsors, American Express Open , who is the WLE founding partner, and Aetna, were both delighted with the "turnout" and have said they will continue to support future summits, while FedEx signed on as a new sponsor, one they didn't have before the Virtual Summit.
Here are just a few of the rave reviews:
--Diane Valletta, Valletta Associates, Evanston, IL "This technology is
amazing. It really gave me the feeling of being physically at an event."

---Blanche Williams, President, National Black Women's Town Hall and Greatness By Design, LLC, Washington, DC "Great panel discussions. Thanks for a great afternoon of empowerment, straight talk, and connecting with other leading women around the country...and the best part was it didn't require the time and expense of travel or accommodations. WLE clearly understands and appreciates the lives of busy business women!"

---Susan Levin, International Speaker/Author Marketing Consultant for speakers and authors and owner of Speaker Services, www.speakerservices.com, Los Angeles, CA "The WLE Virtual Summit was great. Not only did I get to hear the speakers and meet the exhibitors virtually but being in the chat room at the right time brought me several leads for ladies who wanted to learn more about our services. To date three women have signed on to Speaker Services. When can we do this again?"

---Karen McMillan, Yinpreneur, Charlotte, NC "You and your cofounder rock! What a big and powerful event. Bringing together all these amazing women. Delighted to have found you and WLE!"

---Rona Magnusdottir, CEO & Founder of the global community site for women business owners, Connected-Women.com, and an International speaker & trainer,
Reykjavik, Iceland, "Attending WLE Virtual Summit in May 26th 2010, was like a dream come true for me. Living in Iceland, throughout the years, the normal procedure attending an International conferences would be days of traveling, waiting in airports with all the hassle, booking hotels, with of course huge costs involved, therefore the WLE Virtual Summit came as a beautiful present. I was inspired by the whole look of the conference, it was easy to navigate the site, and I was going from inspiring breakout sessions to connect with interesting businesswomen in the networking room. I felt it was easy and effective to contact other participants, get their virtual business card and start the process of true networking."

Media Contact: Judy Katz, [email protected], 212-580-8833